Lessons in Dr Google: how to use the internet to improve your health

We’ve all been there. You have a slight headache and feel a bit queasy. A sketchy-looking freckle, or you feel thirstier than usual. Before you even think about booking an appointment at your doctor’s surgery, you get out your phone and type your symptoms into Google. Moments later, a ‘diagnosis’. But is it the right one?

In 2019, Google Health boss David Feinberg told The Telegraph that around 7 per cent of all Google searches (around 70,000 searches per minute) were health-related. One can’t help but imagine that figure could only have risen during a global pandemic when GP surgeries were telling people with a cough or temperature to stay away, and seeing a million fewer people every month, with many patients, particularly women, putting off a trip to the doctor’s.

But according to a new study from Harvard Health, ‘Dr Google’ isn’t as wildly incorrect in its diagnoses as we might think. The study by Harvard Health invited 5,000 people to read a ‘case vignette’ about the symptoms of a person with an illness, imagining that it was a friend or loved one who had the illness. They then had to make two diagnoses, before and after they’d had a chance to Google the symptoms.

While looking up symptoms on Google didn’t entirely rule out incorrect diagnoses, “the use of the internet was associated with modest but significant improvements in diagnosis,” wrote the study’s authors.

Perhaps just as importantly, the study didn’t find any significant increases in anxiety after Googling symptoms.

However, that doesn’t mean you should always turn to Dr Google instead of your own GP. It goes without saying that if you have any symptoms that concern you, you should consult a doctor immediately. But with the new study in mind, we spoke to experts about how to look for health advice online.

Make sure the information is up to date

“Patients being well informed is a good thing and Google is a great source of information,” says Dr Keith Grimes, AI clinical innovation director at online GP service Babylon. “However, that information needs to be up to date, accurate, and evidence-based, and Google does not provide a good way of working this out.”

Most reputable health websites are updated frequently in line with new research coming to light. The vast majority will contain a publish date or a date when the page was last modified. All NHS website pages feature the date when the page was last reviewed and a date when the page will next be reviewed. Keep an eye on these days to check your information is current.

Try a dedicated symptom checker

According to Grimes, one of the biggest problems with Googling your symptoms is the search engine’s algorithm, which is designed to show you the results you’re most likely to click on, not necessarily the ones that fully understand the context of the question you’re asking.

“For this reason, symptom checkers are a better option for people wanting to understand what might be causing their symptoms, and whether they need to seek help,” adds Grimes, citing Babylon’s symptom checker, which he says is “built using the best available medical evidence and with the input of doctors with a special interest in urgent and primary care. This means that the information you get is safe, accurate, and up-to-date.”

Other symptom checkers include Patient, Mayo Clinic, and Symptomate. The NHS also operates a symptom checker via its 111 phone line.

Avoid non-specialist websites

“Anyone can publish information online,” says pharmacist Phil Day from Pharmacy2U. “Non-specialist websites like Wikipedia cannot be guaranteed to provide reliable and accurate health information.”

Equally, health blogs and Instagram health accounts should be taken with a pinch of salt. There are all manner of people out there who might claim that veganism or a sugar-free diet has cured all manner or ills or boosted their fertility, but more often than not, these claims aren’t backed up by any real evidence and proponents of them might have ulterior motives for sharing this information, such as increasing their number of followers.

“Therefore, you should bear all of this in mind when searching, and look for reputable websites,” Day continues. “Look for sources based in this country, and check for the date the information was last updated. I would recommend beginning with the NHS website, which has links to other trusted sites from within its pages, so that’s a great place to start.”

Use the internet to find support groups

“Google and search engines do provide more than just information; they can connect people to patient groups and support as well,” adds Grimes.

If you have a condition that requires management rather than a direct intervention by a doctor, for example, coeliac disease, there are plenty of websites where you can find community groups of other sufferers who might be able to provide advice and information. Bear in mind however, as with non-specialist websites discussed above, people’s personal judgement might not always be entirely trustworthy.

“Babylon’s service provides access to a range of human specialists (GPs, pharmacists, physiotherapists, therapists and so on) to help bring what is most important to the decision-making, which is expert opinion,” says Grimes. You might also consider using the NHS 111 service to double check any advice you find online with a doctor.

Which websites should you use to find health information?

NHS.uk – The official website of the NHS is packed with constantly updated, authoritative and easy to read information about almost every condition you can imagine. It can also tell you where to find resources and further advice, and frequently features articles debunking health rumours or scares.

Healthline.com – A health news website that features a broad range of advice, FAQs, and updates on the latest research. All of its editorial content is fact-checked by a team of professional medics, and is well cited and frequently reviewed.

Patient – The UK’s leading source of independent health advice. Like Healthline, it is checked and reviewed by a team of medical experts constantly and often updated with the latest information.

NICE Evidence Search – Run by the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE), this search tool sources data from 800 reputable medical organisations to help you search for your symptoms using only reliable and trustworthy sources.

Mayo Clinic – An American non-profit healthcare organisation, which is frequently at the cutting edge of health research and education. It employs 4,500 working doctors and draws patients from around the world.

Read more: Why medical advice from the internet can be bad for your health